Being a mother..

I don't know how to drive a car but I give a damn.... I am not well versed in communicating in English, I give a damn..... I do not belong to the strata of women, who boast of  belonging to the fat salaried group and I give a damn for that too. I am so proud of myself and the reason for this high self esteem is the privilege that I enjoy of being a mother. Of course, there are thousands and hundreds of mothers on this earth but this article of my is an ode to all those who have never been recognized for their contribution to the mundane life.

I will take the example of my life. Having completed my professional degree course in Education, from the premiere institutes of India, I took up a job with a renowned school. Teaching was always my passion and that showed in my work as quickly I had gained a name for myself. In a tenure of just six months I was encouraged with two salary hikes and was about to be promoted as a senior teacher when I took a sabbatical for my child and this was a pleasure for me. I remember, since my in-laws were staying with me, they had offered to take care of my child that is if I wish to continue my job. I instead took the decision to resign and stay back as I have the notion that mother's and no one else in this world, have the most important role to play in shaping the future of their child. How we behave and act will leave a lasting impression on the child's future. So, with the firm belief that I should be around my child in her growing years, for the next seven years I switched off my professional line. Those seven years were a pleasure for me as I enjoyed watching my child grow and start to imitate me. But these were also the years when I had to overcome the desire to be financially independent, when I used to curb my financial needs as I was too shy and proud to ask my husband for financial assistance. These were also the years when I had to be very cautious regarding my behavior, as very often my very promising career from the past would come to haunt me and I would be thrown into depression. I remember an incident, when having gone through a very bad day, I had given my child a peace of my mind. The very next day, I found her using the same tone as my to express herself. Immediately I corrected myself and in doing so I asked forgiveness from her, explaining that it was not a very encouraging behavior on my part.

10 years have gone by and my child has now grown and I too have resumed my profession. But still now, my only prayer to the almighty remains that I don't resort to a course of action that will make my daughter feel ashamed of me. 

Sometimes when I am sitting alone and pondering on the different phases of my life, I hear a distant voice (my mom's), telling me " you will understand things when you too become a mother". I am a mother now and I feel sorry for the days when I made my mom's life miserable when she was trying to cope with my tantrums and her duties as a housewife and a teacher. With every passing day and year, I feel so very obliged to my mother who left a budding career to take care of me and my sister. When asked how she felt living an oblivious life, being part of a thankless society? Her answer has always been, "I am thankful for the life I got, I am thankful for the decisions I took because it gave me the strength to nurture the two gems of my life." --- Hats off to all the mothers!